Baseball Team Drops Annual “Yogi Berra Stadium” Game

The annual Verona Cedar Grove baseball matchup at Yogi Berra Stadium did not go well for the Hillbillies this year, with Cedar Grove coming out on top, winning by 10 in a game stopped by the mercy rule after five innings.

The Hillbillies record’ fell to 10-8 and as Cedar Grove picked up win number eight on the season.

The game opened with a big inning by Cedar Grove who scored early after several walks issued by Chris Bujnowski, who struggled with his control all night. The Hillbillies also had a rough time in the field, committing two errors in the first two innings. One occurred when Bujnowski fielded a routine ground ball back to the mound and threw it clear past Mario Catania, the Hillbillies’ senior first baseman. Bujnowski’s night ended after three innings pitched with the Hillbillies down 6-0.

The Hillbillies were held hitless until the bottom of the third inning when Ian Metzger hit a double and was thrown out after being caught in a rundown trying to score. After three hard fought innings, the Hillbillies were down 4-0.

A Hillbillies pitching change brought Thanasi Grillias to the mound. Another big inning for Cedar Grove featured a two-run triple by junior Tom Greatorex.  In the middle of the fourth inning, Cedar Grove led 8-0.

The Hillbillies were able to threaten in the bottom of the fourth inning, loading the bases, after freshman DH Metzger was hit by a pitch, but Catania hit a groundball to second to end the inning. The Hillbillies struggled to find any offense, getting just three hits through four innings of play.

There were a few Hillbilly highlights, such as Paul Chanley’s diving catch in right field in the fifth inning to save the Hillbillies from another rough inning. The Hillbillies trailed going into the bottom of the fifth, 10-0.

The Hillbillies were unable to score the runs necessary to keep the game going to seven innings, as junior Alex Hardenberg hit into a double play to end the game.

Cedar Grove senior Anthony Goergen, who threw a complete game shutout.